In the field of photography, the use of backgrounds is popular for a wide variety of reasons. Photographers often wish to photograph objects against a featureless background, thereby focussing attention towards the object being photographed. Furthermore, the use of a background allows a photographer to manipulate light, so as to better illuminate the object to be photographed.
From a commercial point of view, backgrounds are beneficial to photographers as they facilitate the provision of a wide variety of options to a client. Furthermore, backgrounds allow a photographer to vary the nature of a photograph, and may be utilised in a wide variety of locations, for example in the studio, at a client's home, or on location.
Conventional backgrounds often comprise rigid panels and/or flexible sheets, each of which have their associated problems. Rigid panels are not easily portable, and both rigid panels and flexible sheets are time consuming to erect and mount, as well as being difficult to maintain in position.
Collapsible backgrounds are known in the field of photography, and their use is becoming ever increasingly popular. Whilst collapsible backgrounds are generally portable, and relatively easy to assemble, they remain difficult to mount and/or support. Photographers are often required to purchase a stand that is specifically designed to hold a support for a background, and actually attaching a background to such a support can prove to be time consuming and cumbersome. Freestanding collapsible backgrounds are also known, yet are often unstable and prone to unwanted movement during use.
It is therefore an objective of present invention to provide a system which at least partially mitigates one or more of the aforementioned problems.